An Introduction To God (The Names Of God) #3 El Shaddai
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Discover El Shaddai — the God of more than enough — and how His name unlocks supernatural abundance, healing, and multiplication in every area of life.
Description
El Shaddai Names God Overview
In this third installment of the series An Introduction To God, the pastor of NTC Ministries explores the profound name El Shaddai, translated as God Almighty, and explains why this name carries a meaning far richer than raw power. Drawing from Genesis 17, Genesis 28, Genesis 35, Exodus 6, and Psalm 91, the message traces how God revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses as the all-sufficient One, the fertile field that produces abundance in every season. The pastor explains that El Shaddai derives from a Hebrew root meaning a fertile field and is also associated with nourishment and sufficiency, signifying that God is more than enough to meet every need. Through the stories of Abraham receiving Isaac against all natural possibility, Jacob prospering under Laban’s exploitation, and Moses leading Israel out of Egypt, the sermon shows that El Shaddai produces increase for those who abide in Him and follow His instructions. Rooted in Galatians 3 and John 15, this message is a powerful call to develop a prosperous mentality grounded not in self-effort but in intimate relationship with the God who multiplies, reconciles, heals, and blesses beyond what any natural circumstance could allow.
El Shaddai Names God Outline
- 0:00 – Introduction to the Series and the Fall of Man: The pastor sets the context for the Names of God series by explaining how sin separated humanity from God and why knowing God by His names is essential for spiritual growth and intimacy.
- 8:30 – Review of Elohim and Jehovah: A brief recap of the first two names covered in the series: Elohim as the strong Creator who makes covenant with man, and Jehovah as the covenant-keeping, grace-giving God who dwells with His people.
- 15:00 – El Shaddai Introduced in Genesis 17: The pastor introduces El Shaddai as it first appears when God speaks to Abram at age 99. He unpacks the Hebrew roots pointing to a fertile field, nourishment, and all-sufficiency rather than mere omnipotence.
- 25:00 – Abraham and the Impossible Promise: The message explores how El Shaddai produces fruit even against natural impossibility, using the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah well past childbearing age as the defining example.
- 35:00 – Jacob Inherits the Blessing of El Shaddai: The pastor traces how Isaac passed the revelation of El Shaddai to Jacob, and how Jacob prospered supernaturally under Laban through obedience to God’s specific instructions with the spotted and speckled flocks.
- 47:00 – Moses and Psalm 91 — Abiding Under El Shaddai: Through Exodus 6 and Psalm 91, the pastor shows that El Shaddai was the name by which God sustained the patriarchs and led Moses to deliver Israel, calling believers to stake their claim by confessing who El Shaddai is.
- 54:00 – Abiding in the Vine — John 15 and Fruitfulness: Drawing from John 15, the pastor explains that abiding means staying put in relationship with God, expecting fruit the way a farmer expects a harvest, rather than uprooting and moving from place to place at the first sign of difficulty.
- 1:02:00 – Perseverance, Persecution, and Receiving the Harvest: The message closes with a call to expect increase, reject a poverty mentality, give generously into fertile ground, and stand firm under persecution, knowing that El Shaddai glorifies the Father through abundant fruitfulness in the believer’s life.
Scripture References
Genesis 1:1, Genesis 17:1-2, Genesis 17:6-8, Genesis 28:1-4, Genesis 28:13-15, Genesis 35:9-12, Exodus 6:2-3, Psalm 91:1-2, Galatians 3:7-9, Hebrews 10:23, Hebrews 3:6, John 15:4-8, John 1:11-12, Philippians 1:6, 2 Timothy 3:12
Key Takeaways
- El Shaddai means the all-sufficient One, the fertile field that produces abundance for anyone who abides in Him regardless of natural circumstances.
- God revealed Himself as El Shaddai to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because what they faced required a God who multiplies beyond what human strength could ever accomplish.
- Knowing El Shaddai produces a prosperous mentality — a settled confidence that no matter what is happening around you, God is going to cause increase in your life.
- Abiding in El Shaddai means staying put in your God-given place, relationship, or assignment, expecting the harvest the way a farmer expects a crop to grow after planting.
- Obedience to God’s specific instructions is the channel through which El Shaddai produces supernatural results, as demonstrated by Jacob’s faithfulness with the speckled and spotted flocks.
- You are a joint heir with Jesus Christ, meaning you receive not a portion but the fullness of all that God has promised, because El Shaddai is the Creator who produces without limit.
- Persecution will come when you begin to prosper under El Shaddai, but it is a sign that you are bearing the fruit that glorifies the Father, not a reason to abandon your position.
El Shaddai Names God Notes
El Shaddai Beyond Almighty Power
Most believers hear God Almighty and immediately think of overwhelming force and dominance. The pastor corrects this assumption by pointing to the Hebrew root of Shaddai, which connects to a fertile field and to the nourishing image of a mother nursing her child. This reframes El Shaddai not as a God of brute strength but as a God of inexhaustible supply and tender provision. He is the One whose very nature produces abundance, who nourishes and sustains His people not because conditions are favorable but because sufficiency is who He is by name.
Abraham’s Impossible Situation and God’s Answer
When God first revealed Himself as El Shaddai in Genesis 17, Abraham was 99 years old and Sarah was 89. Every natural indicator said the promise of a son was finished. Yet El Shaddai did not adjust the promise to match the circumstances — He adjusted the circumstances to fulfill the promise. The pastor uses this as the anchor illustration of the sermon, showing that El Shaddai operates in the realm where human effort has already exhausted itself. The birth of Isaac is not a story about Abraham’s faith alone but about a God whose name is more than enough regardless of what nature says.
Jacob’s Obedience as the Model for Believers
Jacob’s years under Laban represent one of the most hostile working environments in scripture — wages changed ten times, deception at every turn, and no natural advantage. Yet Jacob became a wealthy man because he learned to follow the specific and seemingly strange instructions of El Shaddai concerning the striped and speckled branches at the water trough. The pastor draws a direct application: faith is doing what God told you to do until He shows up and does it Himself. Abiding is not passive waiting but active, obedient expectation that does not stop until the harvest comes.
Psalm 91 and Staking Your Claim with Your Mouth
The pastor highlights that Moses, who authored Psalm 91 after witnessing El Shaddai deliver Israel from Egypt through plague and miracle, understood that abiding under the shadow of El Shaddai is activated by confession. The phrase I will say of the Lord is deliberate — Moses is teaching that believers stake their claim in the secret place of the Most High through what they speak. Declaring He is my provider, He is my healer, He is more than enough is not wishful thinking but the mechanism by which El Shaddai’s sufficiency is released into a believer’s daily experience.
John 15 and the Danger of Rootlessness
Using Jesus’s teaching on the vine and branches, the pastor warns against the habit of moving from church to church, relationship to relationship, or assignment to assignment the moment difficulty arises. A plant that is constantly transplanted never develops the root system needed to survive scorching heat. Abiding in John 15 carries the same meaning as dwelling in Psalm 91 — staying put in a given place and relationship, always expecting. Without this deep rootedness in El Shaddai, believers remain unfruitful, wondering why the same struggles persist decade after decade despite activity and sincerity.
Prosperity That Glorifies and Blesses Others
The pastor is careful to frame the prosperity of El Shaddai not as personal accumulation but as capacity to bless. He references the Good Samaritan as the picture of what a believer with resources can do — covering medical costs, providing housing, and restoring a stranger’s dignity. He also connects the Abrahamic blessing in Galatians 3 to the reality that every believer should be a source of blessing to family, coworkers, and community. El Shaddai multiplies His people so they can be channels of His abundance to a world in need, not so they can hoard what He provides.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does El Shaddai mean in the Bible?
El Shaddai is a Hebrew name for God that combines El, meaning strength or mighty one, with Shaddai, a word rooted in the concept of a fertile field and nourishment. It is most accurately understood as the all-sufficient One or the God of more than enough. It first appears in Genesis 17:1 when God speaks to Abram before the birth of Isaac, emphasizing His ability to produce abundance beyond what natural circumstances allow.
Where does El Shaddai first appear in Scripture?
El Shaddai first appears in Genesis 17:1-2, where God introduces Himself to Abram saying I am Almighty God, walk before Me and be blameless. This revelation came at a moment of human impossibility — Abram was 99 and Sarai was 89 — making the name particularly significant as a declaration that God’s sufficiency is not limited by natural conditions.
How is El Shaddai different from God Almighty in terms of meaning?
While El Shaddai is commonly translated as God Almighty, the name carries a different nuance than raw omnipotence. Shaddai points to abundance, nourishment, and fertility rather than forceful might. It presents God as the One who provides, multiplies, and sustains His people the way a fertile field produces crops, making it a name centered on sufficiency and blessing rather than domination.
How did El Shaddai reveal Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?
In Exodus 6:2-3, God tells Moses that He appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob specifically as El Shaddai, not yet revealing Himself as Jehovah. This shows that the defining revelation for the patriarchs through their trials, their wanderings, and their impossible promises was the name that speaks of all-sufficiency and supernatural multiplication, because that is precisely what each generation needed to experience.
What does it mean to abide under the shadow of El Shaddai in Psalm 91?
Psalm 91:1-2, written by Moses, teaches that abiding under El Shaddai is both a position of trust and an active declaration. The Hebrew word for dwell suggests staking a claim and remaining there. Moses applies this by immediately saying I will say of the Lord He is my refuge, showing that the believer’s spoken confession is part of how they remain under El Shaddai’s shadow and access His all-sufficient provision.
What is the connection between El Shaddai and the blessing of Abraham for Christians today?
Galatians 3:7-9 states that those who are of faith are sons of Abraham and are blessed with believing Abraham. Because the Abrahamic blessing is rooted in El Shaddai’s covenant promise of multiplication and fruitfulness, every believer in Jesus Christ has access to that same blessing. Christians are joint heirs with Christ, meaning they receive not a fraction but the fullness of what El Shaddai promised to Abraham.
Why did Jacob prosper under Laban despite unfair treatment?
Jacob prospered because he learned to follow the specific instructions of El Shaddai rather than relying on his own schemes. God directed Jacob to use striped branches at the water trough so that the strongest animals would produce offspring that belonged to Jacob. This supernatural strategy resulted in Jacob leaving Laban’s household as a wealthy man, illustrating that obedience to God’s word activates El Shaddai’s abundance even in the most unjust and hostile environments.
How should believers respond when El Shaddai’s blessings bring persecution?
Second Timothy 3:12 warns that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. The pastor teaches that when El Shaddai causes a believer to prosper, criticism and ridicule from those who do not know this name of God will follow. The response is to remain rooted, continue abiding, and hold fast to the confession of hope without wavering, as Hebrews 10:23 instructs, trusting that El Shaddai will continue to produce fruit that glorifies the Father.
